106 A Millennium of Snow

Mo Feiyuan and Nine Gods both drew their swords, pointing them at each other. A contest between ice and water had begun. Nine Gods utilized water-based attacks, while Mo Feiyuan excelled in fire-based combat. Both men possessed speed that reached the absolute limit, moving with fluid, lightning-fast agility.

The barrier of the Huangtian Forest shuddered under repeated impacts. The Mushroom Forest was half-destroyed, with fragments of mushrooms scattered everywhere.

"Do we need to help?" Xia Mu watched the scene, a faint smile playing on his lips. Murong Qiandai stood by without answering immediately, seemingly deep in thought. After a long while, he flicked his sleeve, unleashing a surge of immense power that joined the fray.

"Ha! You people are truly dull-witted. Do you honestly think you can take me down by ganging up on me? You have no idea what level you are playing at." Nine Gods was arrogant, his speed ferocious, his wildness reaching an extreme. He had the right to be arrogant, for he was the last person in this world to attain godhood, albeit through the vile method of devouring a Celestial Spirit body. Yet, after thousands of years, few remembered this dark origin; they only remembered that he was a god.

Rewind a millennium, and no one would have cared much. Regardless, he was undeniably powerful now, and there were still people waiting outside the Huangtian Forest to worship him.

The frenzied battle naturally attracted many. Before long, You Tong frowned. "Someone wants to break the barrier of the Huangtian Forest. They are outside, claiming they want to worship the god."

Mo Xiangqing furrowed his brow. "Is it finally time to act?"

Yun Feiyue shook her head, unsure. "Go and block them first. Leave this place... to the Sages." She knew her presence here would not make much of a difference, so it was better to stand guard at the gate. If the barrier of the Huangtian Forest were shattered, this battle would likely lead to a catastrophe. The ignorant masses always mistook those who stood on high ground for holy beings.

Yun Feiyue quickly arrived at the entrance. Through the barrier, she could see a group of masters at the Eighth Realm of Martial Arts, using the pretext of worshiping Nine Gods to destroy the protection of the forest. Most of these people clearly understood that the Huangtian Forest contained great opportunities for cultivation and wanted them for themselves. Human greed always drove them to commit harmful acts, regardless of the consequences.

"Step forward and die!" You Tong and Han Cheng stood at the entrance, guarding the threshold. Riying and Yueying exchanged glances, then, as if having made a decision, said, "Looks like it’s time to kill again. It’s been so long since I’ve seen blood; I find myself craving it."

The people outside the barrier were mostly masters from across the continent, naturally arrogant and proud. Their previous reverence for the Mo family had been due to Nine Gods, but now everyone knew that Nine Gods had fallen out with Mo Feiyuan and his allies. Though they did not know the reason, they had chosen their sides. Anyone involved in this affair knew to side with Nine Gods. The outcome of opposing a god was obvious, and those who picked a side naturally considered themselves clever.

"You lot have betrayed the god; you know what fate awaits you. Surrender now, and you might live. If not, you can only wait for death." The crowd began to stir. "Open the Huangtian Forest and we will spare you!" "Open the barrier at once; we must pay our respects to Nine Gods!"

The clamor was deafening. From the crowd stepped a man carrying a massive saber, his posture arrogant, his face etched with a sinister air. He arched an eyebrow at Yun Feiyue. "We meet again!"

Yun Feiyue nodded. "Yes, we meet again. So what?"

"Nothing much. Now everyone wants your life. What are you going to do?"

Yun Feiyue chuckled softly. "We shall see."

Le Fei feigned realization and turned to the masters. "You all want to kill Yun Feiyue?" The others were confused by the question; they had all come to purge her, so they didn't understand his attitude. Le Fei smiled at them, making no further move. They stood there, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Suddenly, someone spoke up. "I remember now! Isn't this the man who challenged Yun Feiyue at the Abyss of the Summit? Why is he here? You are Le Fei."

Le Fei nodded. "Then you should know what I said?"

"That... you said Yun Feiyue is your enemy and only you are allowed to kill her."

Le Fei smiled lightly, his massive saber slamming into the ground with a thud that made the earth tremble. "At least you have some memory! Well, I am going to act now! Consider this punishment for coveting my prey!"

Le Fei leaped into the air, fast as a whirlwind. He drew his saber, his movements wild and oppressive. With a single strike, the ground split and boulders flew. "The Cloud-Slaying Saber!" someone recognized the weapon.

"Is it too late to recognize it now?" He struck again, his form full of tension. The opponent tried to block but was forced back by the sheer power of the blade.

"I almost forgot to tell you—Le Fei has another title: the Senior Brother of the Zhan Yun Sect."

It was then that everyone realized the man who had been clamoring to deal with Yun Feiyue was actually her senior brother. Most of them had been deceived, even revealing their plans to him, which explained why their schemes always failed.

"Ah! You tricked us!"

"Tricked you? So what? Your intelligence is truly lacking. It is your privilege that I chose to deceive you." Le Fei smiled.

Even the dullest among them now understood that Le Fei and Yun Feiyue were working together. They had clearly been toyed with. The crowd turned their eyes to Yun Feiyue. She rubbed her forehead, looking helpless. "I didn't expect you to be so easily fooled. Your intelligence really is quite low!"

Enraged, the crowd charged. Le Fei stood in front, turning his head. "Junior Sister, give me a bigger bonus."

Yun Feiyue nodded and smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, for the sake of our friendship, I will give you extra. One thousand gold coins per head."

Le Fei’s movements became even more agile as he charged into the crowd. Riying, Yueying, You Tong, and Han Cheng joined the fray. Yun Feiyue held the gate, preventing any sneak attacks.

Outside, the battle raged, and inside, the fight was equally intense. Nine Gods was slightly at a disadvantage against the three Sages and Mo Feiyuan, but he was a god, after all.

"Don't forget, even if you defeat me, you cannot kill me. You can only seal me as you did before. But the one who could seal me probably no longer exists. Yun Feiyue is not her. Though the soul is the same, she lacks her abilities..." Nine Gods looked at them coldly, his expression wild. "It is you again, coming to die. Such unpleasant memories! Since we are all gathered here, let us fight! Let your blood wash away the dullness of my thousand-year imprisonment."

"Too much talk," Mo Feiyuan retorted coldly, unleashing a wave of frost toward Nine Gods. Nine Gods waved his hand, and torrents of water rushed to meet it. The battle intensified once more.

The fighting lasted from day into night, until the balance was broken. While protecting the barrier, they had to fight off powerful masters, leading to inevitable lapses in defense. As the last ray of sunlight faded, the barrier of the Huangtian Forest was shattered.

Power surged outward across the continent. The masters who witnessed the divine battle instantly turned into loyal followers, claiming they would clear the obstacles for Nine Gods. Nine Gods turned to look at them, his eyes cold and bloodthirsty. "What a pack of good dogs."

He remained as arrogant as ever. The crowd dared not resist, behaving like loyal hounds. Some charged toward Yun Feiyue, turning the area into two smaller battlefields. No one considered whether the continent would suffer disasters from such violent collisions; there was no time for such thoughts.

The conflict escalated, and the entire continent seemed to tremble. The immense shockwaves from their power plunged the world into an era of catastrophe, yet the masters ignored it. The frenzied battle continued until Mo Xiangqing made his move. At the moment the barrier was breached, he finally made up his mind to turn against the Mo family. The power of purification erupted from his hands, and his destructive attack terrified the so-called masters. Some began to flee.

Yun Feiyue gripped her broken Buddha Butterfly, stained with terrifying blood. She could not tell if the red on her clothes was blood or the color of the fabric. Red was good—it made it hard to tell the difference. She did not know how many she had killed, only that her eyes were bloodshot and her face smeared with gore. She wiped her face with disgust and looked toward Mo Feiyuan.

There was still no clear victor, but the entire continent was shaking.

"How much longer will this last?" Yun Feiyue asked Mo Xiangqing.

He shook his head. "I do not know. Perhaps a long time, or perhaps... just the next moment."

"You finally made your decision." Yun Feiyue knew that Mo Xiangqing had not initially sided with Mo Feiyuan, but he hadn't supported the Grand Elder either. He had stayed out of many things, and she hadn't seen him for a long time.

A cold wind blew through the Huangtian Forest. Suddenly, light snow began to fall, covering the blood-stained ground in a thick layer of white. Mo Feiyuan, dressed in white, looked like a crane rotating in the sky. She squinted, a faint smile on her lips.

"It is my first time seeing snow on the Jinge Continent. I always thought there were only spring and autumn here."

Mo Xiangqing stood still, looking in the same direction. "It is said that all the cold was gathered into the Cold Ice Pond, which is why there is no snow on the Jinge Continent. It is said there was snow a thousand years ago, but someone gathered all the coldness of the continent into that pond. Those who cultivate in the pond gain the power of ice, but the cost is excruciating pain every fifteenth of the month."

"The weakness that occurs every four years can cause him to collapse, or even do things he isn't aware of. Slaughter, or..." Mo Xiangqing paused, a hint of expectation appearing on his gentle face. "It seems the effect is quite good. Though he is still a bit behind Nine Gods, he possesses the power of ice and snow, and he is not a god. If he can become a god, he will be much better than he is now."

Mo Xiangqing spoke of Mo Feiyuan's performance like an old man.

"Who are you, really?" Yun Feiyue was curious. She still couldn't figure out who this man was.

Mo Xiangqing smiled gently. "Who I am is not important. Just treat me as a passerby. I know who you are, and I know whether I want to help you—that is enough."

"I suppose so..." Yun Feiyue smiled softly, watching the snow falling from the sky and the figures dancing within it. Yes, it seemed it hadn't snowed for a thousand years. Layers of snow covered the continent, turning it into an endless icy wasteland.

"Actually, I hate snow the most."